Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> >> Question: Does acetone disolve backup tape?
> >>
> >> Answer: Not very quickly.
> > 
> >    No, the answer is 'Yes'.  :oP

> Question: Which one of us is currently soaking a backup tape in acetone? 
> Which one of us, therefore, has the experimental data to backup their 
> position?

  You didn't ask how long it takes for it to dissolve. You only asked if
it dissolves.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Warp wrote:

>   You didn't ask how long it takes for it to dissolve. You only asked if
> it dissolves.

Yes, my mistake.

I implicitly meant "does it disolve faster than the polar icecaps?"

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"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message 
news:4a0d8cd5$1@news.povray.org...
> Warp wrote:
>
>>   You didn't ask how long it takes for it to dissolve. You only asked if
>> it dissolves.
>
> Yes, my mistake.
>
> I implicitly meant "does it disolve faster than the polar icecaps?"

     I doubt it... ;)

    ~Steve~

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St. wrote:

>    Erm, no, but while you're doing this experiment, tell me what the backup 
> tape is made of.

Wikipedia suggests it might be Mylar (i.e., polyethylene terephthalate). 
I still don't know how to make it disolve though. So far we've tried:

- Acetone
- Hexane
- Butyle acetate

We don't have any other really cheap solvents in our lab...

Oh well, I guess I could try using mineral acid to disolve the iron 
coating. :-S

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"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message 
news:4a0d8dc1$1@news.povray.org...
> St. wrote:
>
>>    Erm, no, but while you're doing this experiment, tell me what the 
>> backup tape is made of.
>
> Wikipedia suggests it might be Mylar (i.e., polyethylene terephthalate). I 
> still don't know how to make it disolve though. So far we've tried:
>
> - Acetone
> - Hexane
> - Butyle acetate
>
> We don't have any other really cheap solvents in our lab...
>
> Oh well, I guess I could try using mineral acid to disolve the iron 
> coating. :-S

    Hmm, interesting that acetone isn't doing the job. I think what you 
really need is Cellulose thinners.

       ~Steve~

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Invisible wrote:
> I implicitly meant "does it disolve faster than the polar icecaps?"

That's a moving target.

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Invisible <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> I still don't know how to make it disolve though. So far we've tried:
>
> - Acetone
> - Hexane
> - Butyle acetate
>
> We don't have any other really cheap solvents in our lab...
>
> Oh well, I guess I could try using mineral acid to disolve the iron
> coating. :-S

Just a quick question: *Why* would you want to dissolve it in the first place?

If it is only about rendering it unusable, how about a nice oscillating magnetic
field? Microwave oven? Using a strong hole punch axially on the spool to convert
it to confetti? Cutting the spool in two halves using a strong paper cutter? ...

Or is this a new attempt at data compression - dissolving the bits, to later
distill them into a concentrated powder? :P

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Invisible wrote:
> Question: Does acetone disolve backup tape?

Dip a Styrofoam cup into some acetone. Hours of fun.. fumy... fumy... 
fuuuuuuunnnnnn... with a squishy (and fumy) ball of what was plastic 
before. the fumes... they're quite intoxicating... aren't they?



-- 
~Mike

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Invisible wrote:

> Wikipedia suggests it might be Mylar (i.e., polyethylene terephthalate). 
> I still don't know how to make it disolve though. So far we've tried:
> 
> - Acetone
> - Hexane
> - Butyle acetate

Slow day at the lab? XD

-- 
~Mike

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clipka wrote:
> distill them into a concentrated powder? :P

<SNOOOOORT!>    I'm so smart now!

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   There's no CD like OCD, there's no CD I knoooow!

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